CXD - 7

Early the next morning, at the break of dawn.

Jiang Zhiyi slowly awoke on the bed in Yaoguang Pavilion’s sleeping quarters. As she opened her eyes and saw the familiar painted ceiling with its intricate beams above her, her eyelids fluttered lightly, and her gaze instantly dimmed.

Gu Yu, who had been keeping vigil by her bedside all night, hurried forward with a mixture of surprise and joy: “My Lady, you’ve finally awakened!”

But Jiang Zhiyi’s usually rosy complexion appeared pale and sickly, and her bright, almond-shaped eyes were devoid of their usual sparkle, as if her soul had been lost. She didn’t seem to hear Gu Yu speaking at all.

“What’s wrong, My Lady? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Jiang Zhiyi raised her hand absentmindedly, her fingertips gently pressing against her chest: “It hurts here…”

Gu Yu was shocked.

Yesterday, the female physician examining the injuries found that the back of the young lady’s head had a bump. She said that it was impossible to determine whether there were internal injuries just from taking her pulse. If the young lady woke up without any other discomfort, then it wouldn’t be serious—only requiring some medicine to reduce swelling. If there were any abnormalities, further diagnosis would be necessary.

However, the abnormalities mentioned by the physician were things like dizziness, nausea, or confusion. Why did the pain move to her chest?

“Let me go call a doctor!” Gu Yu hastily stood up.

“No need, doctors can’t cure me…” Jiang Zhiyi weakly shook her head.

“Then who can heal you? I’ll go fetch them.”

“He won’t come… He doesn’t want me anymore…”

A single tear slid down from the corner of Jiang Zhiyi’s eye.

“My Lady, don’t scare me! Who doesn’t want you? How could anyone not want you?”

Just as Jiang Zhiyi turned her head to speak, she winced in pain when she moved her neck.

As if this were the final straw breaking the camel’s back, Jiang Zhiyi covered her neck, tears flowing freely: “If he hadn’t stopped wanting me… how could he have hurt me so badly?”

Gu Yu scrambled to wipe her tears with a handkerchief: “Yes, yes, Young General Shen is truly going too far! You faced so many bandits, yet only suffered a bump on your head and a few scrapes. All those injuries combined are less severe than this one on your neck, and it made you sleep for ten whole hours…”

Gu Yu’s mouth worked faster than her brain, but halfway through, she suddenly paused: “…What, what did you just say?”

Is this about being “wanted” or not?

Jiang Zhiyi trembled slightly, drawing in a breath, a look of reminiscence crossing her face: “If he hadn’t stopped wanting me, why did he look at me so coldly and unfamiliarly under the tea house on the day of the triumphant return of the army?”

Gu Yu: “?”

“And he even used such a cold tone to ask who I was…”

“All these days since returning to the capital, he hasn’t come to see me. When I went to the military camp to find him, he even had someone lie and say he wasn’t there, deliberately avoiding me…”

“Yesterday, when I confronted him face-to-face, he turned his back on me, acting as though he’d completely forgotten our past…”

Gu Yu: “???”

Gu Yu struggled to keep up with these events, which sounded familiar but felt quite strange upon reflection, gaping in shock: “Past? What past? Are you talking about that kind of past?”

Jiang Zhiyi didn’t respond, lying back silently as tears flowed.

Gu Yu gaped dumbfounded for a long while before hesitantly asking: “Could it be… that you and Young General Shen aren’t really enemies like people outside say…?”

She had only been in the household for a few days, and it seemed clear to her that the young mistress and Young General Shen were sworn rivals!

Jiang Zhiyi weakly raised one hand, holding onto Gu Yu’s wrist, sitting up with a pained expression.

How could she bear to play this role of being “enemies” with him? But for the sake of appearances, she had no choice but to put on this act…

At that moment of silence, each harboring their own thoughts, a maid knocked on the door of the sleeping quarters: “My Lady, Madam Shen and Young General Shen have come to visit you.”

Jiang Zhiyi abruptly wiped away her tears: “What? When did they arrive? Where is he?”

Before the maid, Xiaoman, could answer slowly, Jiang Zhiyi dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief and began muttering to herself: “He came to see me, and Madam Shen is also here… Could it be… Could it be that they’re here to propose marriage?”

“???”

In the blink of an eye, the fragile beauty who had been bedridden like a wilting flower sprang off the bed with boundless energy, lifting her skirts and rushing out like the wind.

Gu Yu and Xiaoman were left staring at each other in shock. After a moment—

“My Lady, your shoes!”

Gu Yu picked up Jiang Zhiyi’s slippers and chased after her. Just as she reached the doorway, three burly servant women surrounded Jiang Zhiyi.

“My Lady’s injuries haven’t healed yet; where do you think you’re going?” The leading servant woman smiled warmly.

Jiang Zhiyi frowned and took two steps back, looking at Gu Yu: “Where did these dirty servants come from?”

Gu Yu was still reeling from the shock of seeing Jiang Zhiyi transform into her usual spirited self. Stammering momentarily, she quickly stepped forward: “Where did these insolent servants come from! Does My Lady need to report to you every time she wants to go somewhere?”

The servant woman smiled ingratiatingly: “Of course not, but My Lady has injuries and shouldn’t be moving around too much. The Madam is worried about My Lady’s wellbeing, so she sent us to take care of you…”

“The doctor never said anything like that. I’m new here, but I didn’t know the Madam was also knowledgeable in medicine?”

“Well… The Madam is concerned about My Lady’s safety. After yesterday’s encounter with bandits, she was extremely worried and scared! With the outside world being unsafe, it’s best for My Lady to stay indoors…” The servant woman continued inching closer.

Gu Yu protected Jiang Zhiyi, retreating with disgust.

The three servant women, smiling smugly, pushed the two back into the room, slammed the door shut, and locked it: “The Madam is currently entertaining guests in the main hall and will come to see My Lady shortly! Please rest well, My Lady!”

Two incense sticks later, underneath the towering walls of Yaoguang Pavilion, Gu Yu held a ladder, nervously watching the figure above her: “My Lady, this wall is awfully high. Are you sure you want to climb it?”

Without looking back, Jiang Zhiyi firmly climbed up the ladder rung by rung.

A person who usually couldn’t tolerate even a speck of dust was now climbing windows and scaling walls for the sake of seeing her lover…

Those wicked servant women sent by the Madam surely never imagined that the proud and noble young mistress had such a side to her. They hadn’t set up any defenses around the windows or walls…

Gu Yu stared upward in disbelief, finding the sight rather awkward.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Zhiyi had climbed to the top of the wall but stopped at the highest step, seemingly stuck.

Gu Yu’s heart rose higher: “…My Lady, do you not know how to scale a wall?”

Not knowing how to scale a wall was normal.

No, not knowing how to scale a wall was normal…

“I’ve scaled more walls than you’ve walked roads.” Jiang Zhiyi tossed out the words, crouching on the ladder to catch her breath. Standing upright, she looked down, feeling dizzy for a long while before regaining her composure. She lifted her foot and crossed over to the other side.

Her golden embroidered boots hung suspended in the air for a moment, unable to make contact with the ground.

How did she scale the wall again? She suddenly forgot.

“…Three years without practice, and I’ve grown rusty.” Jiang Zhiyi grabbed the railing and crouched back down.

“Why don’t you come down then! I just asked Xiaoman, and she said Young General Shen isn’t here to propose marriage today—he’s just visiting to check on your injuries…”

“What do you mean ‘just’? This is the first time he’s actively sought me out since returning to the capital! How can you say ‘just’!”

Before Gu Yu could dissuade her further, a gentle female voice came from beyond the wall: “My son may have been too rough. Fortunately, My Lady is unharmed…”

Jiang Zhiyi froze, crouching low and peeking over the edge of the wall.

On the path ahead, Madam Shen, the stepmother of the Shen family, was walking side by side with her aunt, chatting as they went.

Behind them quietly followed the youth she had been longing for day and night.

This was clearly a mutual, intuitive understanding.

He must have discovered that she was locked in her room by her aunt and had come to the wall to meet her, just like he used to. He truly hadn’t forgotten her.

And yesterday… Jiang Zhiyi thought for a moment. It must have been because others were present that he had acted that way?

Yes, during their recent encounters, there had always been bystanders. How could she trust those insincere words entirely!

Jiang Zhiyi consoled herself, watching as the three figures stopped. She immediately waved her arm toward them.

Unexpectedly, the youth, who had been facing her sideways, seemed to have noticed something in the distance and turned his body slightly, ending up with his back to her.

Immediately afterward, Madam Shen nodded to Lady Zhong: “Since My Lady is still resting, my son and I will not disturb her.”

How could they not disturb her?

The young mistress wasn’t resting, and she didn’t need to rest!

In her haste, Jiang Zhiyi quickly checked her waist.

She had dressed hurriedly earlier, and now she had no jewelry or ornaments on her…

Jiang Zhiyi reached up to touch her hair bun, removed a pearl hairpin, plucked a jade bead from it, aimed carefully, and threw it out.

The small jade bead rolled a full zhang behind the youth, causing no ripple.

The two women continued their polite conversation, while Yuan Ce remained silently gazing into the distance.

Jiang Zhiyi looked down at the hairpin in her hand, picked a larger pearl, plucked it off, and threw it again.

Finally, it landed with a “snap” on the back of Yuan Ce’s heel.

Yuan Ce’s hand clenched into a fist behind his back, and he closed his eyes briefly.

Was it because his winter boots were too thick to feel anything?

Seeing no reaction from him, Jiang Zhiyi, desperate and out of options, impulsively threw the entire hairpin at him.

The hairpin flew out, its sharp tip heading straight for Yuan Ce’s back.

Jiang Zhiyi’s face turned pale as she inwardly exclaimed, “Oh no!”

Several zhangs away, sensing the gust of wind approaching his back, Yuan Ce swiftly raised his hand behind his back, fingers spread wide, and caught the object in his palm.

Jiang Zhiyi exhaled in relief, cold sweat pouring down her back.

Lady Zhong, who had been exchanging pleasantries, paused mid-sentence, surprised by Yuan Ce’s sudden movement: “What’s the matter with General Shen?”

Yuan Ce, expressionless, concealed the hairpin in his palm and glanced at Lady Zhong: “Nothing. I still have official duties to attend to, so I’ll excuse myself first.”

Lady Zhong suspiciously eyed the hand hidden behind his back: “Oh, I see. Then please, General Shen, feel free to leave.”

Yuan Ce nodded respectfully and departed with large strides.

“He understood my signal!” Jiang Zhiyi glanced down at the bothersome wall beneath her feet, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and boldly stepped across it, barely catching the ladder on the other side to climb down. Once on the ground, she quickly calculated a route in her mind and hurriedly turned into a nearby path.

Passing through the moon gate at the end of the path, she indeed saw Yuan Ce walking towards her.

Jiang Zhiyi’s heart leapt with joy, and she hastened her steps.

Yuan Ce furrowed his brow and abruptly turned around to walk away.

Startled, Jiang Zhiyi was about to call out to him but noticed the direction he was heading—

This was an intersection. Her aunt would pass by here on her way back to the courtyard. Taking the path toward the artificial hill would be safer...

Ah Ce Ge still thinks so thoroughly.

Jiang Zhiyi promptly turned around and took another winding path that led to a secluded spot.

Meanwhile, Yuan Ce approached the artificial hill, intending to circle around it. Suddenly, a pink figure emerged from behind the rockery.

“…”

Yuan Ce halted, his fingers subtly tightening as the hairpin in his palm bent into a bow shape.

Across from him, Jiang Zhiyi also paused, gazing at him from a distance with a mix of anticipation and apprehension.

Perhaps due to the occasion, the young man was dressed more refinedly than usual today—his jet-black hair neatly tied with a black cap, his temples clean-cut, wearing a dark-colored narrow-sleeved robe with a mandarin collar. A light crimson inner garment peeked out from the neckline, lending him a radiant charm. The ornamental hook at his waist gleamed with a gentle luster, perfectly balancing the sharpness of his eyebrows and piercing eyes.

Three years at the border hadn’t dulled his handsome features; instead, it had made his figure even more slender and upright, adding to his youthful vigor.

Truly worth her three years of waiting…

Jiang Zhiyi couldn’t wait any longer. Overjoyed, she rushed forward, opening her mouth to utter an “Ah”—

“Has My Lady recovered so lightly from yesterday’s injuries that she’s jumping around?”

Jiang Zhiyi’s joyful smile faltered.

Before she could feel sorrow, she first noticed the servants sweeping not far behind Yuan Ce.

After managing to meet him, did he still have to maintain such a strict pretense in front of a group of servants?

Jiang Zhiyi pouted, seeing no trace of humor in his expression, and reluctantly adopted an arrogant demeanor: “General Shen himself delivered the blow. Who else knows better whether it was light or heavy? How dare you question me?”

Yuan Ce narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing her for a moment. His fist, clenched tightly behind his back, loosened slightly: “The weapon My Lady used earlier didn’t exactly hold back either.”

“It’s not that I…” Jiang Zhiyi started, then paused, “I didn’t injure you at all!”

“You left your back exposed to me, yet you failed to harm me. Is that my fault?” Yuan Ce let out a derisive laugh through his nose.

“…” Pretending was one thing, but why did he have to pretend so convincingly? It was genuinely hurtful.

Jiang Zhiyi’s lips quivered as she looked up at him with pitiful eyes.

Yuan Ce instinctively retreated half a step: “…As long as My Lady refrains from any rash actions, I have no intention of harming you.”

Jiang Zhiyi took a deep breath, forcing out a cold laugh: “Yesterday, I merely lost my composure due to shock. Do you think I’ll lose it again? Dream on! Even if you provoke me, I won’t react rashly!”

“That’s good,” Yuan Ce’s tense body relaxed, and he raised a hand, “Then may My Lady kindly allow me to pass now?”

“No!” Jiang Zhiyi blinked, pondered for a moment, then lifted her chin, “You took my hairpin. I’ve come to retrieve it, lest someone sees it later and tarnishes my reputation.”

“Rest assured, I have no interest in My Lady’s reputation.” Yuan Ce gripped the hairpin and straightened it back with force, then extended his open palm to her.

Jiang Zhiyi glanced at the servants nearby, who were all engrossed in their sweeping. Quickly stepping forward, she took the hairpin from his palm.

Just as Yuan Ce was about to withdraw his hand—

Her delicate fingertips suddenly brushed lightly against his palm.

Yuan Ce’s palm tingled, and he abruptly looked up.

The young girl before him curved her lips, winked at him with her left eye, slipped something into his palm, then bashfully turned and ran away.

Yuan Ce stood frozen in place, watching her shy yet coy figure disappear from view. Slowly lowering his gaze, he saw a note—

“Dear Ah Ce Ge, after years apart, the stars in the heavens cannot express the depth of my longing for you. The weight of the boulders beneath the mountains cannot compare to the steadfastness of my heart. Tonight, as the snow falls, I wish to stroll with you by the misty lake, holding your hand and walking together until our hair turns white. Your Yi Yi.”

“…………”